Tuesday is Timothy Potts’ first day on the job as the new director of the Getty Museum, a post that went vacant for nearly two years. Friday he will make his first public appearance, joining LACMA director Michael Govan and Hammer Museum director Ann Philbin for a panel on the changing shape of L.A.’s art museums.

The panel will take place downtown in Grand Park at 6 p.m. as part of Zócalo’s “town square”-style conversations. Up for discussion: the state of cultural philanthropy in L.A., the challenges of engaging local audiences, and next steps for the museums, each of which has grown significantly — and faced serious growing pains — in the last 10 years.

MOCA director Jeffrey Deitch declined to participate, but some of the issues that have plagued MOCA this summer are sure to inform the discussion.

I will be the moderator. Are there any particular questions or topics you'd like the museum directors to address? If so, please comment below or send questions to jori.finkel@latimes.com.

For more information on the event, which is free to the public and then podcast online, visit the Zócalo website.